[SOLVED] How does GHz on a CPU work?

[a-guy]

So i discovered that my laptop never actually used 3.8GHz (which it does have because theres i7 7700HQ inside of the laptop) but it used 2.8GHz and i figured out how to use 3.8GHz but when i did it was alot more laggy and i got less fps do i need more ram than 8GB to use 3.8GHz or do i need a better graphics card or something else to use it? Or is it just broken and thats the reason it gets laggy when i switch to 3.8GHz?

 

[R_1]

it is working fine as it it.
the base clock is 2.8, what you have been getting all the time
the boost clock is 3.8, that only happens when the workload is right. single threaded operations can shut down unused cores and allow a single core to speed up to complete the job ASAP, then the clocks return to stock and the other cores are enabled at the lower speed.
if you were to keep maximum speed the CPU would heat up and throttle down in speeds (well below the 2.8) to cool down.
laptops do not have the cooling capacity of a desktop with a large cooler and an open chassis. heat is a huge concern and is the reason why you rarely hit 3.8.
it was never meant to run at boost speed all the time.

 

[digitalgriffin]

So i discovered that my laptop never actually used 3.8GHz (which it does have because theres i7 7700HQ inside of the laptop) but it used 2.8GHz and i figured out how to use 3.8GHz but when i did it was alot more laggy and i got less fps do i need more ram than 8GB to use 3.8GHz or do i need a better graphics card or something else to use it? Or is it just broken and thats the reason it gets laggy when i switch to 3.8GHz?

As R_1 stated, 2.8 is the base and 3.8 is the boost. You may not get an all core boost to 3.8GHz. That may be only for one core. Intel has been a little bit elusive with core boost algorithms for lesser models as of late.

There are reasons for this including binning of parts to have a higher percentage of good yields. But also to keep processors inside thermal constraints often found in laptops.

One thing I invariably hate about laptops if they use cheap thermal solutions that use thermal pads. Thermal pads are more shock proof as laptops have a tendency to get knocked around a bit. Also, fins that invariably clog with dust, and no easy way to clean them. This lowers their efficiency over time causing them to consistently clock lower the older they get.

 

[TerryLaze]

So i discovered that my laptop never actually used 3.8GHz (which it does have because theres i7 7700HQ inside of the laptop) but it used 2.8GHz and i figured out how to use 3.8GHz but when i did it was alot more laggy and i got less fps do i need more ram than 8GB to use 3.8GHz or do i need a better graphics card or something else to use it? Or is it just broken and thats the reason it gets laggy when i switch to 3.8GHz?

What exactly did you figure out? Because it sounds like you used affinity to lock some game onto a single core and games do not like that at all.